More than 300 athletes from 28 countries have descended on Presque Isle for the World Cup biathlon.
This is the second time the northern Maine city has hosted the World Cup for the sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Though the biathlon doesn’t draw big audiences in the U.S., it’s a favorite in Europe — and in Aroostook County.
You’d be hard pressed to find a more enthusiastic local fan base for the biathlon than the Zippel Elementary School fifth grade.
Wrapped in thick winter jackets, snow pants, hats and mittens, these students are also equipped with essential spectator accessories, like cow bells, explains fifth-grader Isabella Keegan.
“Well, we need to make a lot of noise and cheer, because if we’re screaming we’ll lose our voices,” Isabella says when asked about the importance of the cow bell.
Fellow classmate Erin Kelly opted to use bling to let her enthusiasm shine through — she’s sporting a pile of red, white and green beaded necklaces.
“I told my mom I want to be on European TV,” Erin says. “And my teacher said the person who has the most bling is going to be interviewed, so I went out and bought all these necklaces and put them in the Italy colors.”
It’s not just the kids that are excited about the biathlon — their teachers are too. They even taught a unit on the biathlon in school. Teacher Robin Norsworthy says she wants students to have a sense of what it takes to become an elite athlete, and to believe that it’s possible for them as well.
“It is truly one of the most exciting things we can do,” Norsworthy says. “And the kids get to see something they would never ever get to see, probably in their lifetime.”
The biathlon World Cup first came to northern Maine about a decade ago. Every few years since then, either Fort Kent or Presque Isle has hosted a world-class biathlon event.
“Oh my god, it takes hundreds of volunteers, countless numbers of hours, and a community spirit that only can be pulled off, I think, in Aroostook County,” says local promoter Jason Parent, who has helped coordinate them all.
More than 500 volunteers are helping at this year’s World Cup at the Nordic Heritage Center — including Jana Shaw, who dishes out meals for athletes in the food tent.
“We are serving beef pot pie, and roasted red potatoes, and pasta,” Shaw says. “Pasta is huge among the athletes — they need their carbs.”
Shaw will work all four days of the World Cup. She enjoys it so much, she took time off work to be here.
“To have the conversations with different athletes from the different countries and to get their take on what they think of northern Maine, and the experiences they have here,” Shaw says.
French biathlete Simon Fourcade likes his experience so far. He took the bronze medal in the sprint competition, and says he likes the track in Presque Isle compared to the previous World Cup stop in Canmore, Canada.
“Canmore is huge mountains, and here we are in the forest,” Fourcade says. “But uh, I prefer the track here compared to Canmore.”
These athletes may not have much name recognition in the U.S., but Jason Parent says they’re like the Peyton Mannings and Tom Bradys of Europe — and that’s part of the pull to host the World Cup.
“The U.S. Super Bowl just had 111 million viewers,” Parent says. “It made it the third-highest-rated television program in the United States. Well in Europe, right now, we’re live to 120 million viewers. So to put that in perspective in terms of significance of this sport in Europe, is really phenomenal.”
With so much exposure, Parent hopes that ultimately, hosting the World Cup will help a region that has struggled economically — to show that northern Maine is great to visit, and do business with. But for the short term, he hopes to reignite community spirit.
You could sense the pride among students like fifth-grader Brady Roy. Watching international athletes and media from the stands, it was all a bit surreal.
“They chose us out of the millions of other towns and cities,” Brady says. “They chose us.”
The World Cup will continue through Sunday.
